Call me an idealist, but I truly believe in the founding principals of this country. Freedom, means something to me.
The Founding fathers were not just Idealists themselves, they were very well read Elitist's who risked everything for the common man.
They asserted common people should have rights, and a voice in their government, a novel Idea at the time.
Today I see nothing attributed to their wisdom or genius, other than fake Memes and Flag waving, none of which have anything to do with real Patriotism, and merely invoke a false sense of Nationalism. That seems to be ok for most however.
The founding fathers disliked Political Parties, they saw it as divisiveness, yet here we are today, with only two real parties who have a say. What makes it worse? It was not long after the foundation of this country that political parties took root, with the petty arguing and power grabs by the parties, other voices were often drowned out, something which is polar opposite to our freedom, the ability to elect people who represent our Ideals, not those of a single party.
Yet it was so. In the Civil war there was a single party who seemed to stand for the peoples rights, everyone's right, while on the other side a party strictly opposed those rights. Last year the same thing happened again. One party stood for at least some of our rights, while the other quit literally campaigned not just against one right, but against nearly every single aspect of the Constitution, and I mean everything. The bad guys would win, and still do.
Rather than dwell on the "Bad or Good" party, let us just look at what the common man thinks is normal, which would have absolutely appalled the Founding Fathers.
The NSA, where the notion that the public in general has to be carefully monitored as they could be the potential enemy.
Mind you spying is nothing new, however the founding fathers strongly disliked being carefully monitored, so this right here is bad.
Some realize it even more, usually only when their opposing party is in power though. Once their preferred party is in control, they readily open their arms and accept being spied upon.
Search and Seizure: This has been around for a bit, yet again is against everything the founding fathers were for. WHat would they say if they knew that EACH and every person boarding an Airplane was searched, some very invasively? To further slap our freedoms in the face is the face is the ready relinquishing of personal items "Deemed unfit" to be carried aboard the plane.
It gets even worse, some cities have actively engaged in simply pulling over and randomly searching and arresting "Profiled" people, or those they deem unfit. Folks I am sorry, this right here is one of the very reasons we revolted.
Due Process: Your right to a trial is something that is almost an afterthought now days. Both parties seem intent on picking an area where you do not have the right to being found guilty in a court of law. A court system which goes all the way back to the Viking area and in my opinion, needs a revamping. Yet even the basics of our Trial system are not good enough quit often.
Freedom of Speech: Now here is an area that is getting pounded especially this year. Laws are now either on the books or in the process to allow Protestors to be ran over. This is not something coming from a third world country, this is something right here, right now In the "land of the free" think of that next time you are drinking from your coffee mug with an American flag on it.
Freedom of Religion: Yup, that is right, our founding fathers were actually largely agnostic. They had lived under a rule where people had to worship a certain way, so they included in their Bill of Rights an exclusion to this, a Novel Idea which allow people to worship as they deem fit. They also made sure that the Government could not force their religion upon you.
SO where do I go next? Well without writing a book, I sadly have to end this blog today.
The next time you share that meme about "Mouthy self righteous people not showing respect" keep in mind, those exact thoughts were stated of our founding fathers. They were treasonous, mouthy, fiery, in your face type of people, the type of people who wanted to make sure you, the poorly informed American, had a chance to be informed and live a normal prosperous happy life.
SO please, the next time you see someone burning a flag, or even holding up a sign of protest, just drive on by and smile, smile with the realization that you are living in a country where things like this are allowed. It is the nature of Authoritarian regimes to stomp on those people, and make sure their voice is not heard.
Where do you stand?
Friday, February 17, 2017
Thursday, February 9, 2017
That time I shared a Ships Cabin with the new Somali President.
I am not someone who is good with faces, but I remember this guy well.
I was crossing the Baltic Sea on my way to Finland some 21 years ago now. Wee had a ships cabin with four bunks in it, itt was nothing fancy, just your typical base Ferry Cabin.
In come walking this Black Guy in a suit. We all introduced ourselves and then we showed him the most Amazing thing in our cabin, the Window.
That's right folks, the window was absolutely amazing. Not because of the spectacular view, rather the lack of one. As we opened the curtains there was the indentation for a window, without an actual window. That is right folks, there were curtains over a window that did not actually exist!
It was then that our new Shipmate would exclaim "Simply Amazing!"
We chatted with him for a bit, and of course were blown away with a businessman from Somalia heading to Finland, it was our understanding that Somalia was war torn Hell.
The words he said in reply have stuck in my mind to this very day "Do not believe everything you hear on the Media"
That really is it, I could make up that I had some great financial talk with him, that he gave us incredible prediction of the future, but those would be fabrications, something I do not do.
However if I took anything from my brief meeting with the new President of a developing country, his words on the Media have stuck with me, and shaped me to this day.
So MR. Muhammad if that truly was you, give me a shout out. I wish you the absolute best in your new Presidency, with peace and prosperity in your future.
Signed, the American Traveler wearing the Leather Motorcycle Jacket
I was crossing the Baltic Sea on my way to Finland some 21 years ago now. Wee had a ships cabin with four bunks in it, itt was nothing fancy, just your typical base Ferry Cabin.
In come walking this Black Guy in a suit. We all introduced ourselves and then we showed him the most Amazing thing in our cabin, the Window.
That's right folks, the window was absolutely amazing. Not because of the spectacular view, rather the lack of one. As we opened the curtains there was the indentation for a window, without an actual window. That is right folks, there were curtains over a window that did not actually exist!
It was then that our new Shipmate would exclaim "Simply Amazing!"
We chatted with him for a bit, and of course were blown away with a businessman from Somalia heading to Finland, it was our understanding that Somalia was war torn Hell.
The words he said in reply have stuck in my mind to this very day "Do not believe everything you hear on the Media"
That really is it, I could make up that I had some great financial talk with him, that he gave us incredible prediction of the future, but those would be fabrications, something I do not do.
However if I took anything from my brief meeting with the new President of a developing country, his words on the Media have stuck with me, and shaped me to this day.
So MR. Muhammad if that truly was you, give me a shout out. I wish you the absolute best in your new Presidency, with peace and prosperity in your future.
Signed, the American Traveler wearing the Leather Motorcycle Jacket
Saturday, February 4, 2017
My Families Immigrant Story and why we need to let more immigrants in, not less.
In support of open Immigration in this country, I am going to give a brief history of my families, I encourage you to do the same.
Maybe if we can all talk about it, or it encourages others to look deeper into their own family history, we can come to the realization that Immigration is something that needs to be free flowing, not restricted venom within this country.
My family history goes back more than most I guess, and less than some. I know I had relatives who fought in the Civil War, for the North.
However the bulk of history starts under my Surname with the Arrival of my Great Grandfather from Sweden.
He came as most did back then, being the young strapping man looking for adventure and a better life for his family.
He would find work as a Cavalry Scout, which would bring him to Montana, there he would create a homestead, start our Ranch and save up money for his father to come over.
The ranch he founded would be riddled with adventure as he would battle often with not only with the notorious Black Feet, but also with the real problem, white Cattle Rustler Bundy types.
My great great grandfather would follow and find work in a mine, I have the sole possession he brought with him, a beautiful crystal butter dish.
Om my mothers side was something of a mixture. My great great Grandmother was a Child Bride in an arranged marriage to am an she had never met. The offer via letters was undoubtable a far, far better life than my family had in the war torn Yugoslavia. You see for centuries that country has been torn apart with petty fighting between the two prominent religions, Catholic and Orthodox.
She would come through Ellis island and marry a miner, have a couple children. Her first husband would be killed in the mine, as would her second. She would raise her 12 children on her own.
I do not know the astuteness of the rest of my moms family, but I do know they were very prominent businessmen within our hometown. Their building still stands with the name down the side, they were by all standings what the American dream was about, very successful. To prove that success, I have my Great Grandmothers phonograph. It was a cutting edge model at the time, the first year they had the horn not visible, it cost a staggering 300 dollars! That was a years wages in 1910, think about that for a minute.
Now mind you this is a brief history, but I wanted to share.
It is important to remember that the bulk of our history comes from people fleeing the wars in Europe, they came as refugees, or simply people to poor to ever have anything in their own country, America was their way up.
It is still that way today. As we fight or battle over the rights of the underprivileged migrants coming to America, and whether or not they are "Deserving" Remember it is an old fight.
Most European Ethnicities hated each other. They hated each other so badly cities were divided up according to ethnicity. It is also where lots of derogatory slang terms came from that we think nothing about today. "Welsh on a bet, Jew him down" etc.
So when someone tells you "Muslims cannot be trusted" tell that person they know not history as Catholics felt that way about protestants, Finish against Swede and everyone were against the Chinese and of course the Irish.
Nevertheless America was and is a country of Migrants, so those doors were always open.
What would end up happening of course from the melting pot would be great Ideas coming together for some amazing things. Tesla was a Immigrant who came to America with his crazy visions of electrical devices, as was Steve Jobs father, who was a Syrian Migrant.
Einstein was a refugee, Imagine our science had he been denied?
Boarder trade is so important, it expedited things you take for granted today such as the lightbulb. That is right, there was great competition abroad over who developed the light bulb, was it invented in America at the Edison research facility, the 3M of today? Or was it created in Britain? Patents are only way of tracing, which still create great arguments as to who was first. All we know for sure, is the great exchange of Ideas, or simply seeing another invention, others spur off it and we advance as a world because of this.
With open boarders, and open trade we will continue to expand and be great, once those two great faucets are closed, a country becomes stale.
you see Multiculturalism is what great Empires thrived on. It is why the legendary Silk Road was created, it is also how Rome and others before it were the greatest civilizations ever. That is my friends the essence of civilization, laws, order and understanding to each other.
I will put forth some links for your consideration. Yes I am putting up a couple of "Fictional Movies" however they are a fairly accurate representation of early America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-YVIEkf6Cg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBZjEnY7CRo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn3e37VWc0k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGCxiD4qREM
What is yoru family story? Please share.
Maybe if we can all talk about it, or it encourages others to look deeper into their own family history, we can come to the realization that Immigration is something that needs to be free flowing, not restricted venom within this country.
My family history goes back more than most I guess, and less than some. I know I had relatives who fought in the Civil War, for the North.
However the bulk of history starts under my Surname with the Arrival of my Great Grandfather from Sweden.
He came as most did back then, being the young strapping man looking for adventure and a better life for his family.
He would find work as a Cavalry Scout, which would bring him to Montana, there he would create a homestead, start our Ranch and save up money for his father to come over.
The ranch he founded would be riddled with adventure as he would battle often with not only with the notorious Black Feet, but also with the real problem, white Cattle Rustler Bundy types.
My great great grandfather would follow and find work in a mine, I have the sole possession he brought with him, a beautiful crystal butter dish.
Om my mothers side was something of a mixture. My great great Grandmother was a Child Bride in an arranged marriage to am an she had never met. The offer via letters was undoubtable a far, far better life than my family had in the war torn Yugoslavia. You see for centuries that country has been torn apart with petty fighting between the two prominent religions, Catholic and Orthodox.
She would come through Ellis island and marry a miner, have a couple children. Her first husband would be killed in the mine, as would her second. She would raise her 12 children on her own.
I do not know the astuteness of the rest of my moms family, but I do know they were very prominent businessmen within our hometown. Their building still stands with the name down the side, they were by all standings what the American dream was about, very successful. To prove that success, I have my Great Grandmothers phonograph. It was a cutting edge model at the time, the first year they had the horn not visible, it cost a staggering 300 dollars! That was a years wages in 1910, think about that for a minute.
Now mind you this is a brief history, but I wanted to share.
It is important to remember that the bulk of our history comes from people fleeing the wars in Europe, they came as refugees, or simply people to poor to ever have anything in their own country, America was their way up.
It is still that way today. As we fight or battle over the rights of the underprivileged migrants coming to America, and whether or not they are "Deserving" Remember it is an old fight.
Most European Ethnicities hated each other. They hated each other so badly cities were divided up according to ethnicity. It is also where lots of derogatory slang terms came from that we think nothing about today. "Welsh on a bet, Jew him down" etc.
So when someone tells you "Muslims cannot be trusted" tell that person they know not history as Catholics felt that way about protestants, Finish against Swede and everyone were against the Chinese and of course the Irish.
Nevertheless America was and is a country of Migrants, so those doors were always open.
What would end up happening of course from the melting pot would be great Ideas coming together for some amazing things. Tesla was a Immigrant who came to America with his crazy visions of electrical devices, as was Steve Jobs father, who was a Syrian Migrant.
Einstein was a refugee, Imagine our science had he been denied?
Boarder trade is so important, it expedited things you take for granted today such as the lightbulb. That is right, there was great competition abroad over who developed the light bulb, was it invented in America at the Edison research facility, the 3M of today? Or was it created in Britain? Patents are only way of tracing, which still create great arguments as to who was first. All we know for sure, is the great exchange of Ideas, or simply seeing another invention, others spur off it and we advance as a world because of this.
With open boarders, and open trade we will continue to expand and be great, once those two great faucets are closed, a country becomes stale.
you see Multiculturalism is what great Empires thrived on. It is why the legendary Silk Road was created, it is also how Rome and others before it were the greatest civilizations ever. That is my friends the essence of civilization, laws, order and understanding to each other.
I will put forth some links for your consideration. Yes I am putting up a couple of "Fictional Movies" however they are a fairly accurate representation of early America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-YVIEkf6Cg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBZjEnY7CRo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn3e37VWc0k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGCxiD4qREM
What is yoru family story? Please share.
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